BC Young Farmers (BCYF) is pleased to announce the 2019/2020 addition of the Young and New Entrant Skill Development Program to support young and new farmers in gaining access to the skills they need to reach their farming potential. The program is delivered by BCYF with funding from the governments of Canada and British Columbia through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $3 billion investment to strengthen the agriculture and food sector.
Young and new farmers can apply for funding support to attend the following events which focus on increasing their farm business management skills:
Applicants must be a resident of BC, between the ages of 19 and 40, and actively involved in a farm business. To apply, applicants must e-mail info@bcyf.ca with the following information:
Applicants can attend more than one event however; preference will be given to applicants who have not received support from the program; have not attended the event before; and are actively involved in their farming community.
Applicants from all regions and farm types are encouraged to apply.
DEADLINE
Join fellow young farmers and a host of industry experts and sponsors for an afternoon filled with networking, good food, and tons of fun, all while listening to several informative speakers!
BCYF’s main educational and social event of the year. A change in venue, date and time for 2018. Farm Fest will be held at the Langley campus of Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). The event starts at 11:00 AM and ends at 4:00 PM. Lunch will be provided. Continue the social part of the day at a local pub.
September 15
Join other young farmers to see how BCYF director Jill Robbins and her family raise free range and pasture poultry. There will be lots of great activities for the whole family.
June 2nd was a nice sunny day in the beautiful Okanagan Valley. We began the 2018 Okanagan Farm Tour at Paynter’s Fruit Market. Our host, Jennay Oliver showed us around her fruit orchard and acres of vegetable plantings that she referred to as her “gardens”. It was great learning about the history of Paynter’s Fruit Market and how it has evolved over the years and generations.
The second stop on the tour was at Volcanic Hills Estate Winery. Our host, Bobby Gidda gave a very in depth tour detailing the grape growing process all the way to the bottling stage, and everything in between. Bobby graciously hosted a wine tasting for the entire tour group afterward.
A very big thank you to both, Jennay and Bobby!
Join fellow young farmers to tour three local Chilliwack farms and businesses.
Stop by our booth at the Pacific Ag Show to say hi and meet our directors. Be sure to ask about our Pacific Ag Show social on Friday, January 26 starting at 8:00 PM.
Donia Farms is a third generation modern, progressive dairy farm located in South Surrey. They are the bright orange barns just west of Highway # 99 as you drive from White Rock to Vancouver. The farm is run by the Van Keulen family – Stan and his three sons. The farm has taken an active role in marketing their farm via social media and their website (http://doniafarms.com/).
Friday, October 6, 2017
Join fellow young farmers for a great fall tour of the Delta and Richmond areas.
Join your fellow young farmers for a tour of Agassiz area farms on April 29
Tour starts at 9:30 AM and includes lunch
Be sure to dress according to the weather as portions of the tour will be outdoors
For more information and to register
To register: contact Mark Robbins: kmfarms@shaw.ca 604-857-8912
Date: March 4, 2017
Location: District Hall, 7170 Cheam Ave, Agassiz, BC
Time: 9:00am – 1:00pm
Presenter: Mark Robbins
Cost: $5 Registration Fee
February 21, 2017
Meet at ACI Foods at 1:00.
31127 Wheel Avenue, unit 306
Farm Fest 2016 is back again at the UFV Chilliwack Campus (5579 Tyson Road), Trades and Technology Center in the Rivers Dining Room.
Joint fellow young farmers to learn more about agriculture and business in a social setting. We have an outstanding panel of speakers this year and lots of opportunity for networking. A gourmet buffet dinner and refreshments will be provided!
The Saturday, October 15th BCYF tour of Abbotsford farms was a great success. Twenty young farmers braved the forecasted fall storm to tour Birchwood Dairy and Campbell’s Gold Honey and Meadery. Friday’s storm and lack of power caused the cancellation of the proposed first stop on the tour of ACI Foods.
The Birchwood tour started with soup and sandwhiches made by Birchwood Dairy. After lunch the group toured the main cow and heifer barn, the calf barn, and the milking parlour. We heard about the life of cows and the basics of milking. Birchwood Dairy is unque in that they use and process the majority of their own milk on-site to make their own brand of milk, butter, ice-cream and other dairy products. The tour ended with everyone sampling Birchwood Dairy’s ice-cream. It was pronouced fabulous!
The second stop was Campbell’s Gold Honey and Meadery. The hosts Judy and Mike Campbell provided an overview of how they started their business, the basics of bee-keeping, some of the challenges they faced starting out, and the challenges faced by the bee and honey industry as a whole. The group then toured the mead making facility, the sales room, and the honey extracting room. A lucky few sampled the mead. Judy and Mike use fruits grown on their farm in their mead which adds some amazing flavours. All in all a sweet tour!